Pipe coupling including elastomeric covered clamping means



July 7, 1959 H. w. JEWELL PIl E COUPLING INCLUDING ELASTOMERIC COVEREDCLAMPING MEANS Filed Aug. 15, 1957 INVENTDK, I HOWAKQWILLIAM JEWELLrrowzvs.

United States Patent PIPE COUPLING INCLUDING ELASTOMERIC COVEREDCLAMPING MEANS Howard William Jewell, lslington, Ontario, CanadaApplication August 15, 1957, Serial No. 678,315

2 Claims. (Cl. 285-369) This application is a continuation-in-part of myapplication Serial No. 377,150, filed August 28, 1953, now US. PatentNo. 2,846,243.

. This invention relates to pipe couplings that are adapted for use withceramic pipe having plain ends.

Particularly for use with ceramic pipe, it is important to provide pipecouplings that will positively and uniformly grip the adjacent ends ofthe pipe and that will be somewhat resilient so as to dispense with anynecessity for absolute registration of the ends. My United StatesPatent'No; 2,846,243, patented August 5, 1958 discloses a useful form ofpipe coupling that is designed to satisfy most of the essentialrequirements for ceramic pipe use. This invention is intended to furnishcertain improvements over the construction disclosed in that priorpatent so as to achieve the same objects more advantageously. Inparticular, the principal object of this invention is to provideincreased rigidity and strength in a pipe coupling of the type disclosedin the said patent. I

In the accompanying drawings, in which each reference character denotesthe same part in all the views,

Figure l is a perspective view of a coupling according to the inventionassembled over the joint between adjacent ends of two ceramic pipesections,

Figure 2 is a cross-section of the coupling,

Figure 3 is a section on the line 3--3 in Figure 1,

Figure 4 is a section on the line 4-4 in Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a section on the line 5-5 in Figure 2.

Referring to the drawings, the principal structural element of thecoupling according to the invention is a belt of resilientlycompressible material adapted to overlie the circumferential surfaces ofpipe sections 12 and 12 and completely encircling the joint between thepipe sections. Preferably it has a particular cross-sectional form, asshown in the drawings (see Figures 2 and 4), including a centralinwardly extending annular flange 10a, forming a stop ring for the pipeends, and spaced-apart parallel passages in the material of the beltprovided by hollow ridges 14 on the belt 10 near its outer or side edges10b. Each of the ridges 14 is a tubular annulus of generally rectangularcross-section spaced radially from the belt for a part of its widthinward of its inner edge 14a and integral with the belt for theremainder 14b of its width near its outer edge.

The resilient compressible material of the belt may be rubber or asynthetic rubber composition; the belt is particularly well adapted formanufacture by extrusion of such compositions from a suitable die.

A short length of each of the hollow ridges 14 is cut away at the sameangular location on the belt 10, and over the gaps provided by the cutaway portions of the ridges, housings 16, of plastic or cast metal, aredisposed. Each of the housings 16 is the same as the other and hasalmost parallel side walls 16a joined by downwardly and outwardlysloping end walls 16b. The side walls are spaced apart by the width ofeach of the ridges 10b and the end walls in effect terminate above thebottom of the side 'walls to provide at each end a recess 16c whichreceives one of the open ends of the ridge 14. The recesses 160 shouldnot, at the outer ends of the housing, be deeper than the normal heightof the ridges 14, so that the outer ends of the housings, when they areseated on the belt, will hold the ridges in place, and the recesses willengage the resiliently compressible material of the belt and force thesaid material against the bands in the passages (as will be describedbelow). The depth of the recesses increases toward the inside of thecasing to provide smoothly curved lower surfaces blending with the innersurfaces of the end walls 16b.

Each housing has a top 16d having a central opening, and a bolt 18having a head 18a extends from inside the housing up through the centralopening. A nut 18b is threaded on its outer end. An open bridge 20through which the bolt upwardly passes rests on the head of the bolt,and can be raised within the housing with the head of the bolt bytightening the nut 18b. The bridge 20 has end bars 20a connected by sidebars 2%, and loosely surrounds the shank of the bolt 18, whichpreferably has I a square cross-section fitting within the bridge asshown.

A thin and relatively narrow band 22 of sheet metal is passed throughthe passage in each of the hollow ridges 14 so as to extend completelyaround the belt 10 between the bridges 20 in the respective housing. Theends of the band pass between the pipe and the wall of the housingwithin the ridges 14. Each end of the band is bent upon itself to form aloop passing over one of the end bars 20a of the bridge, and the shortend 22a of the loop extends back into the channel in the hollow ridge 14to secure it.

The length of the band from one end bar 20a to the other on the bridgeis such that when the bridge is lowered as near as possible to thesurface of the belt 10 within the housing, the band extends through theridge 14 without being under tension and even providing a little slackto accommodate stretching of the belt 10 if desired. Each band 22 canthen be placed under whatever tension is required by turning the nut 18bto raise the bridge toward the head of the stud, thus causing thecircumference of the belt 10 to contract. Some difference in size, aswell as lack of axial registration, between the two pipes joined, may beallowed for by variations in the tightening of the two bands, and pipesof widely differing sizes may be joined if the belt 10 is suitablystepped so as to be larger on one side of the flange 10a than on theother.

The length of the housing 16 (and the corresponding arc length of thecut-away parts of the ridges 14) and the configuration of the notchesshould be such that the points of tangency B of the bands 22 with thebelt 10 (where the band starts to bend away from the belt to engage thebridge 20) are at or between the bolt 18 and the two bearing points Awhere the outer end walls of the housings engage the ridges 14 andprevent them from being pulled away from the pipe, as shown in thedrawings. This enables the housings to be drawn inwardly when the bandsare tightened so that the end walls of the housings will be seated onthe parts of the coupling assembly that lie under them.

A suitable sealing composition, such as sulphur-silicia cement,hydraulic or Portland cement, or a resinous cementing composition, isinserted into the housing 16 before the bolts 18 are tightened.

The belt 10 is given a greater degree of rigidity in order to reduce thepossibility of failure through internal pressure by reinforcing it witha stiffening membrane, band or web 24 overlying the belt 10 betweentheridges 14. Because the ridges 10b are spaced radially from the belt fora part of their width inward of their inner, mutually facing edges, theinner edges of the web 24 extend into these spaces under the ridges, sothat the bands 22 bear upoh the edges of the stifiening web. The I Webcan completely encircle the belt and the ends of the web can overlap atsome convenient location.

The length of the stiffening web 24 is shorter than the length of theridges so that it is interrupted to leave covered the part of the beltlying tinder the housing. Over the uncovered part of the belt arelatively rigid load-distributing member 26 is arranged under thehousings so as to overlie the ends of the web. The load dist'rib'utingmember preferably extends to the outer edges of the belt and to enableit to do so, the ridges 14 are an away from the belt b'y severing theparts 14b bf their widths that are integral with the belt, for a shortdistance on each side of the location of the housings. The loaddistributing member is then 'arr'ah'ged under the 'free eh'ds 14c of theridges, and thefree ends of the ridges, enclosing the clampin band 22,extend between the walls of the housing and the load=distributingmember.

The load-distributihgmember 26 should be ma'deof a more rigid materialthan the materal of the stiffening web 24, and is preferably made ofstainless steel, while the web itself may be composed of any semi-rigidmaterial such as thin metal, fibre, Fiberglas, waterproof paper orplastic; a protective lining of kraftpaper or similar thin flexiblematerial may be disposed under the web is desired. w

While a preferred embodiment of the inventionha's been described, it isto be appreciated that modifications and alterations may bemade withinthe spirit and scope of this invention as defined in the followingclaims.

What I claim asmy invention isz y l. A coupling for the joint betweenadjacent ends 6f we sections of pipe in end t'ofe'nd abutment,comprising a belt of resiliently compressible material encircling thecircumferential surface of the adjacent pipe ends, two parallel hollowridges integral with and spaced apart on the belt and providing passageswithin the material of the belt for substantially all its annularlength, each of the ridges being disposed near one ofthe outer edges ofthe belt, the ridges beingspaced radially from the belt for a part oftheir widtn i'riw'ard of the inner, mutuallyfaeing edges and beingintergral with the belt for the remainder of their width near theirouter edges, a stifien in'g web extending into the spaces between theridges and the belt and overlying the flat surfaces of the belt betweenthe said integral parts of the ridges, the stifieinin'g web beinginterrupted to leave uncovered a part of the belt, the ridges beingunconnected to the belt over the length of the uncovered part of thebelt and ever the ends of the stifiening web, a relatively rigidload-distributing member overlying the ends of the stiffening web andthe uncovered part of the belt between them, housings disposed on theload-distributing member and having walls extending outwardly from thebelt assembly, the load-distributing member exteh'ding axially of thepipe sections tinder thenneonnec'ted parts of the ridges at least as faras the axially outer surfaces of the housings, the end walls of thehousing having recesses for the unconnec't'e'd parts of the ridges underthe end walls, the passages in the ridges opening into the housings, aclamping band extending through each passagewhereby it extends under theend walls of the housing within the passage and projects into thehousing, and tightening means in each of the housings connecting theends of the band inside the housing, the tightening means being adaptedto tighten the bands on the belt and drink the housings inwardly so thatthe recesses in the and wa ls or the housiiigs emf engage theresiliently compressible material and the end walls will force thematerial of the belt agaihst the barids in the passages.

2. A coupling claimed in claim 1 in which each of the hoii'sihg's has atea with a central opening and the tightehihg means in each of thehousings eomprises a bolt having a head inside the housing and athreaded shank I eirte'nding thjrbugh the opefiihg, a nut on the outerend 6f the shahk, aiid an open bridge resting en the head of the tibltndlleiieliiig the shank, the bridge havi g flC} Bars and the ends fpii dfthe Said b ands being loop ed over the end bars 55 that the ehds of theband are moved 2 toward the top of the housing when the nut istightened.

